APA style, created by the American Psychological Association, is used in the social sciences.
To help you understand how to use APA style in your papers, we offer two kinds of guides:
1) A PDF document (which you can view online or download and print) with all the basic rules and a list of examples showing how to cite a wide variety of common types of sources. Click on the green circle in the middle to access the PDF.
2) A web guide showing much of the same information in a different form, often with more details. Click on the pink diamond on the right to access the web guide.
Do you need the 6th or 7th edition of APA?
The current edition of the APA's Publication Manual, the book containing all of its citation rules, is the 7th edition, which was published in 2019. A number of important rules were changed in the 7th edition. But some professors may still require you to use the rules from the 6th edition. Make sure you know which edition you are required to follow. Ask your professor if you aren't sure. Most professors are hopefully assigning the 7th edition by now, but if yours insists on continuing to use the 6th edition, we recommend the following resources:
The APA's own "Basics of Sixth Edition APA Style"
The APA's own "Quick Answers—References" for the 6th Edition
